


Honey

by Amikotsu



Category: Naruto
Genre: Awkward Dates, Best Friends, Blind Date, F/M, Flowers, Fluff, Fun, Gardens & Gardening, Meet-Cute, Rare Pairings, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:15:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23997376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amikotsu/pseuds/Amikotsu
Summary: "Oh! I almost forgot!" Sakura grinned at her, that dangerous look in those green eyes. Ino knew it was going to be something terrible, so she narrowed her eyes at her friend. Sakura leaned in and lowered her voice, so Ino leaned in as well. "I found you someone," Sakura beamed, nudging Ino's shoulder. Ino blinked at her for several seconds, entirely confused, or simply caught off guard -- she didn't know. "He meets your extremely high standards."Blind dates can go horribly wrong. Maybe this one won't be so bad. Ino hopes Sakura is better at picking men this time around. The last one was a loser.
Relationships: Akimichi Chouji & Nara Shikamaru & Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji & Yamanaka Ino, Gaara/Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura & Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru & Yamanaka Ino
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rare Pair Week, Day 2  
> Meet Cute | "Live every act fully, as if it were your last" -- Siddhārtha Gautama

She loved Sundays. Her mother always gave her the day off, so she took Inojin to the cemetery to clean graves and burn incense, then they visited Sakura so their kids could have a playdate while she caught up with her best friend. It was terrible that it took them so long to strengthen their relationship, but Ino was thankful that they'd found their way back together. She didn't know what she would have done without her friends. With Sai gone, her house was empty, only full when she invited all of her friends over for dinner, and that was rare. With a one-year-old kid, she just didn't have as much free time as she'd imagined, but that happened with single parents, especially single _working_ parents. She loved Sundays because they allowed peace into her chaotic lifestyle. She could forget that she was a widow, forget all of Sai's things that she'd boxed up and hidden in the hallway closet. (She just didn't have it in her to get rid of the possessions, not yet.) On Sundays, she could breathe again.

Ino sat next to Sakura on the woman's living room couch, listening to Sakura recite tales written to her in Sasuke's rare letters. She would never admit it to her best friend, but Ino felt sorry for Sakura. Sasuke had been gone for years, by that point, and he treated his family like trash, to be honest. Though a widow, Ino was thankful for her time with Sai, as he'd loved her in the way she wanted to be loved, needed to be loved; Sakura didn't have that. Thinking about Sasuke angered Ino, because she wanted nothing more than to tell the man off for repeatedly breaking Sakura's heart. But Sakura defended him, each and every time Ino said mean things about him; Ino had learned to keep her mouth shut, as out of character as that was for her. She cared about Sakura, and she wanted the best for her friend. Ino longed to drag Sakura to safety, as if Sasuke was still dangerous, and maybe he was -- she still didn't trust him. Sakura loved him, faults and all, and Ino, entirely over him, just didn't understand.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Sakura grinned at her, that dangerous look in those green eyes. Ino knew it was going to be something terrible, so she narrowed her eyes at her friend. Sakura leaned in and lowered her voice, so Ino leaned in as well. "I found you someone," Sakura beamed, nudging Ino's shoulder. Ino blinked at her for several seconds, entirely confused, or simply caught off guard -- she didn't know. "He meets your extremely high standards."

"My standards are high for a reason. I'm a catch," Ino smirked, doing a quick hair flip for added effect. Sakura snorted at her, a quick eye roll following, then they laughed together. "I really don't want anymore blind dates. The last one was just," Ino stopped and gave a thumbs down.

"What did happen with that guy? He's a lead specialist in behavioral medicine. I thought you'd really hit it off." Sakura tipped her head to the side, index finger resting against her cheek. Ino frowned and looked away. "Oh come on! It couldn't have been that bad! He's so funny!"

"He kept looking at my boobs. I know they're great, but not on the first date. No way. When I caught him, I thought he'd stop, but nope! He was a weirdo. No more blind dates," Ino declared, reaching for a cookie. Sakura always brought the sweets out when they were together. She knew Ino so well. "But," Ino paused and sighed, "alright. What makes this guy so great? Is he another guy from the hospital?"

"Nope! Naruto -- don't roll your eyes -- actually suggested this one. Oddly enough, I agree with him. This guy is intelligent, accomplished, funny," Sakura counted off, raising a finger for each one, "oh, and he loves plants!"

"So you think because he loves plants this will work out?"

"Mhm!"

"Naruto really isn't the best guy for this kind of thing. How long did it take that idiot to get with Hinata?"

"He's -- well, alright. You know they're on a break," Sakura spoke, words mumbled. Ino opened her mouth, apology on her lips, but Sakura held up a hand. "It's fine, Ino. I'm not upset. I just _know_ this guy is the one. And if he is, you can treat me to lunch for a whole week as thanks."

Ino took her bottom lip between her teeth, tasting strawberry lip gloss. She trusted Sakura -- she did -- but the four other blind dates had been horrible, and Sakura's personal life was a hot mess. From the room across from them, the children played with blocks and teething toys. Sarada completely destroyed the tiny wall Inojin had been building, and the boy looked absolutely devastated. Ino prepared to stand, but Sakura placed a hand on her arm and motioned for her to wait. They watched Sarada rebuild the wall for Inojin, even though Inojin shifted his attention to Ino. Their kids were adorable. Inojin looked so much like her, but she saw Sai in him too. Sarada looked like a tiny female Sasuke and it was almost comical. Sakura reached over to the coffee table and grabbed a cookie. Ino knew she had to answer, that she couldn't just avoid her friend, so she sighed. Lip free from between her teeth, she tried to imagine a date going well for her. Sai had died over a year ago. Maybe it was time for her to really try instead of being so passive about her love life.

"And if he's not 'the one'? What do I get?"

"Free babysitting for a week."

"I do need a vacation. He's been crying all night because of his teeth," Ino thought aloud, watching her son chew on a toy kunai. Why the kid had picked that toy was beyond her. She'd wanted him to choose the octopus. "Alright. One week. No take backs! If this guy is another loser, I also get to complain about him until the end of time!"

"Considering he's not a loser, you're on, Ino-pig!"

"Bring it, forehead!"


	2. Chapter 2

She had three days to decide on something to wear for her date, and three days suddenly didn't seem like enough. Shikamaru and Choji sat on her bed, one having thrown himself backwards, the other calmly eating a bag of barbeque potato chips. Clad in her purple pajama set, a fluffy white robe on top, she turned from her open closet and held up another dress, the seventh one in the last twenty minutes. Shikamaru had his eyes closed, while Choji peered into his potato chip bag, quietly counting the remainder of his food. Ino would have shouted at them or stomped her foot, but Inojin was having an afternoon nap, and she loved him more than her chance to yell at her former teammates. Ino cleared her throat once and Choji snapped to attention, then began poking Shikamaru's side. When Shikamaru slapped the hand away, Ino picked up her hairbrush and threw it at Shikamaru, striking him on the chin. He muttered for a moment, then opened his left eye, leaning up so that he could get a better look at the pale pink sundress.

"I like it," Choji answered, giving a thumbs up. He'd said the same thing for every single dress, so her brow twitched. She nodded though, because at least he seemed to be trying; Shikamaru gave a so-so motion, the same answer he'd given since the beginning. Boys.

"You can't just do that for every dress. You're both useless," she hissed at them. Shikamaru grunted, as if in agreement, so she reached for a ponytail holder to fire at him. He sat up onto his elbows and took a serious look at the dress, then gave a thumbs down.

"Troublesome. Couldn't you have asked Temari this? What about Sakura? We were busy," Shikamaru complained, going back to lying on her bed. She threw the pink sundress on top of her vanity chair, another dress cast aside for the _no_ pile. "You don't even know who this guy is. He could be anyone. Maybe he doesn't care about looks. Not every guy does."

"Sit up and take this seriously or I'm telling Temari you implied she's ugly," Ino threatened. Shikamaru slowly sat up, fixing her with a harsh expression. At least he'd responded at all. At some point, he'd fallen asleep. "What about," Ino began, turning to root through her closet again, "this one?"

Choji took one look at the purple dress and gave a thumbs up, so she sighed. The dress was a deep purple, with a flowing skirt that brushed her knees and a lace top with the same color fabric beneath it. She'd gotten it on sale a few years ago and she was sure she could still fit into it, since she'd worked her ass off to lose the baby weight. Frowning, she held the dress up to herself and turned to Shikamaru. For once, he took the moment seriously and waved a hand. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Her temper flared and she turned to throw the dress onto the rejected pile, but he finally gave a thumbs up.

"It's not terrible."

"Uh."

Choji turned to Shikamaru as if Shikamaru had said the worst thing imaginable, then looked at the blank expression on Ino's face. Of course she should have asked another girl, but they were busy. Tenten worked all day; Temari wanted to visit her brothers, since they were in town; Sakura worked a double at the hospital; and while Ino valued Hinata's opinion, the girl had zero fashion sense. Lips pursed, Ino hung the dress in the closet, taking care to set it aside, then began putting the other dresses away. Her silence must have unnerved them, because when she turned back around to thank them, they were both gone. Downstairs, the door slammed and Inojin awoke with a wail. She really hated those two.

Ino had been up all night with her son and it upset her that he was going through so much pain. She numbed the area where his teeth were coming in a few times, but the medical advice was to let teething run its course. When his screaming and crying reached another level, she took a calming breath and headed for his room. Somehow he'd gotten tangled up in his sheets, so she unwrapped them from his legs and picked him up. She gave him a rubber teething kunai and he calmed down enough to begin chewing on it, giving her some silence. She'd hated dating because she'd grown so attached to her son that she honestly hated being without him. Sakura had wanted her to talk to someone. They'd both decided her need to be with him came from the fact that she'd lost her father and Sai. She didn't want anything to happen to Inojin, but she couldn't protect him from everything. 

"What do you think about these blind dates? Pretty stupid, huh? Your mom is rusty at this," Ino spoke to him, knowing he didn't understand most of what she said. He'd started talking, but only small words. "I know this is mean, but I really hope it's not Lee," she whispered, chuckling to herself. "Maybe this date doesn't have to mean anything at all. You love me, right?" Inojin hit her in the face with the kunai and she sighed, then smiled. "Yeah, that's what I thought."


	3. Chapter 3

For what must have been the tenth time, Ino checked her makeup in her vanity mirror. The only thing missing was her strawberry gloss, which she traded for cherry in a last-minute decision to shake things up. Sakura sat on her bed, watching her go through her mental checklist, enjoying her complete mental breakdown. Ino did the same thing every time she had a date, blind date or not. She'd been with Sai for seven years; she'd grown used to a beauty routine that made him happy, which made her happy. Without him, she felt as if she were standing on uneven ground. Ino turned in her chair and motioned to her face and Sakura smiled and nodded, the only reassurance she needed to drag herself away from the mirror. Typically confident, sometimes overconfident, she left that behind in favor of nervous butterflies in her stomach. She wanted a great date, the perfect date, the date to get her back onto the scene. She wanted to be happy again. She wanted someone to look at her the way Sai had looked at her. She wanted someone to love her.

"Alright, Ino. This is getting ridiculous. You've checked your makeup repeatedly for the last thirty minutes. You look beautiful," Sakura reassured her, placing both hands on her shoulders. Ino almost bit her lip, but she stopped herself. She didn't want to ruin her lip gloss. "Do you want me to walk with you?"

"No way! I'm not a coward. I'm just nervous," Ino scoffed, causing Sakura to giggle. Ino smiled at her and gave Sakura a quick hug. "Emergency contacts are on the fridge, allergies are on the bottom of the page. He gets a bath before bed, and he loves his scalp massaged. If he gets -- hey! Stop pushing me toward the door!"

"I've got this all under control! You're going to be late!" Sakura successfully pushed her out the front door and closed it in her face. Tempted to knock, Ino raised her fist, but she lowered it with a quick huff and turned on her heels. She had to trust Sakura. 

Sakura parted the curtains in the living room window and showed her Inojin, then they both waved goodbye to her. She thought the boy would cry, but he smiled and waved along with Sakura. God, he was precious. With a new determination, she set off for her date. Sakura had reserved a table at a sushi place downtown, so Ino simply reminded herself to use the name _Haruno_ to get to the correct table. She hoped she wasn't the last one there; she really didn't want to ruin her entrance and embarrass herself. Sakura was the embarrassing one, not her. 

The butterflies circled around and around, especially when people stopped to stare at the change in her attire. She typically wore her shinobi outfit, her purple two piece, but she'd decided days ago to give civilian attire a chance, as she had so many other options to choose from and rarely had a chance to wear any of them. Sakura had liked the option Shikamaru had approved of, so she felt confident in how she looked, at least. She recited a mantra to herself as she walked. She wanted to make a good impression and have fun on the date, for a change. And if the guy was a creep, she would get everything to go and leave him with an empty seat and a check. She was old enough not to play games. She wasn't a teenager anymore, and she was definitely over her unhealthy obsession with Sasuke. Yeah, she didn't need to take crap from some guy.

"Name?"

"Haruno."

Ino looked around the fancy restaurant, trying to see if she could spot her date, but she saw couples at every table. The owner of the establishment always welcomed guests, a habit that had been around in older establishments, back before the fourth war. The old woman offered her a kind smile and motioned for Ino to follow her into the dining room. Most restaurants had transitioned from traditional seating on zabuton to tables and chairs, which was a good call, as she didn't want to sit in seiza in her nice dress. She also thought she might get to flirt and might brush her leg against his own, if things looked promising. Sakura had given her the home, with a wink that was supposed to encourage her, but the thought of taking a man home on the first date just didn't feel right. It was a new-age thing, and she was very old school. Her parents had raised her better than that.

When the old woman continued past most of the tables and headed into the back room, separated by rather fancy partitions, she began to think the woman had the wrong reservation; when she saw familiar red hair, she was certain the woman had the wrong reservation. 

"There must be some mistake. It's the Haruno reservation. That's the _Kazekage_." Ino whispered the words, her hand up in some attempt to keep the conversation from drifting to the table. Even though his back was to them, she didn't want him hearing her. 

"Oh no, this is correct. Haruno. The other guest is the Kazekage, and we are most happy to seat you both." The woman patted her arm and continued escorting her toward the table, even as she tried to yank her arm away and slink out of the room.

"No, wait!" Ino didn't mean to be so loud, but her voice had Gaara turning to see her. She watched his eyes widen and she blushed, offering him a hesitant wave. "I'm sorry about the mix-up, Kazekage-sama. I'm here for my date and this is _not_ the correct table."

"Actually, it is." Gaara offered her a small smile and she quickly looked for the old woman to apologize, but the woman had already disappeared. Sneaky old hag.


	4. Chapter 4

He rose when she approached the table and they sat down together. She fiddled with her chopsticks and fancy napkin, then raised her eyes to meet his. She told herself she wasn't nervous, but she knew it was a lie. They'd met in passing, only when Ino visited Shikamaru and Gaara happened to be in town. They'd never had a conversation though. For some reason, she was intimidated by him, even though he seemed to be waiting for her to get over her nerves. She was a chatty girl, always looking for conversation, but she was silent then. Her tongue refused to work; her lips refused to part. Gaara looked uncomfortable, like he didn't know what to do with their blind date, and it had only just begun. At least they had that in common. They both opened their mouths to speak, then they both motioned for the other to go first. A nervous chuckle escaped Ino's mouth and the corners of his lips tipped up. Another small smile just for her.

"This is awkward," she admitted, knowing by the warmth on her cheeks that she was blushing again. He nodded in agreement. For the longest time, she'd thought he wasn't interested in dating, whether due to fear or his own sense of self worth. He'd changed so much through the years. "I bet you weren't expecting me."

"No, I wasn't. Naruto mentioned he had a friend that I should take to dinner. I've never been on a blind date before," he said, eyes straying to another private dinner taking place several tables away. "Are you disappointed? You tried to leave."

"No! No, I wasn't -- I _did_ try to leave, but I thought it was the wrong table. I didn't think someone like you would go on a date with me."

"Someone like me?" He gave her an odd look and she quickly realized he must have taken her words the wrong way. His hair was still messy, and she was distracted by the fact that she liked it, that she liked her blind date, so far. "Ino?"

"It wasn't an insult. You're just the _Kazekage_ and I'm a florist right now," she rambled, making hand motions as she spoke. He listened to her ramble for a few minutes, his seafoam-colored eyes filled with amusement. Somehow her rambling had gone from belittling herself to blaming Sakura.

"Gaara. I'm off duty right now."

"Right. Of course. You look really nice."

"I didn't choose to wear this. Naruto chose the clothing. I'll tell him you appreciated it."

"Uh, no, that -- you don't have to tell him that. It's not all about the clothing. It can be in general too. I think you look nice everyday. You see?" Ino beamed at him and color flooded his pale cheeks. They both looked away from one another, until Ino decided on bravery. "Do you think I look nice?"

"I do. Did Naruto choose your dress?" It was a joke and they both chuckled. She'd never heard him joke around before, but maybe she hadn't been listening.

"Very funny. Shikamaru actually chose it." They both laughed again, the atmosphere suddenly much lighter. 

When their waitress arrived, Gaara let Ino choose the selection, since he claimed they didn't have any sushi places in Sunagakure. The smalltalk shifted to different eateries in Sunagakure, then to his culinary preferences. He preferred salty foods to sweet foods, and he liked salted tongue and gizzard. She hated sashimi, but sushi was acceptable, which she had to explain, since he'd offered to take her somewhere else. He was actually a very nice guy, much nicer than the last guy she'd seen. Sakura had made the right choice; Naruto had made the right choice. After the food arrived, Ino waited for Gaara to take the first bite, and he gave a nod, encouraging her to try her sushi too.

"It's acceptable." 

"I agree. Very acceptable," she teased him. He smiled at her, and she decided she would never get tired of seeing him smile. "What do you think of this date?"

"It's also acceptable," he joked, amused by her laughter. She found herself almost giddy, and he seemed just as happy to see her that way. While they finished their food, they put the conversation on hold.

Ino was the first one to finish her food, though Gaara finished directly behind her. They still had sushi left, but none of them were really interested in the food. "Would you like to take a walk? My family keeps up a botanical garden. It's nice at night," she offered, being the one to take charge.

"We have one botanical garden in Suna. Genin maintain them and we have guided tours. My favorite is the apple cactus."

"I've heard of types of cacti, but not the apple cactus."

Gaara offered his arm to her, so they linked arms. Out on the street, the heat of day had escaped, the clear sky allowing the temperature to drop. In the moonlight, Gaara looked especially nice in his dress shirt, his hair reminding her of spring flowers, for obvious reasons. As he explained the importance of the apple cactus, she nodded, encouraging him to continue. The cactus was strictly in the areas dominated by bats, as bats pollinated them, and birds, as they ate the fruit. He knew a lot about cacti and she learned key details as they walked toward her family's botanical garden. When he asked her about her flower shop, she couldn't gush enough about the upcoming wisteria festival and how everyone wanted to see and experience wisteria, especially couples. They reached the botanical garden before long, so she unlinked their arms and took several steps ahead, then she did a small twirl.

"What do you think? Pretty great?"

"It's vibrant. Do you have a favorite flower here?"

"I do. Would you like to see it?"

She took his hand and led him along the row of yellow and red tulips, venturing further into the botanical garden. The focus was generally on the greenhouse area, but they bypassed it and went to a small clearing, where several different trees dotted the area. Gaara recognized some of them, but he wasn't as knowledgeable on flowers, as most were imported from other nations. Ino let go of his hand, reached up for a small branch of a tree and let him see the blossoms of the apricot tree. The flowers were fragrant, reminding him of something he'd smelled before, something he couldn't place. She pulled off a couple of the blossoms and offered him one, then she placed hers in her mouth. Hesitantly, he did the same. The blossoms tasted a little like apricots and smelled of honey.

"Apricot trees aren't hard to find, but I love the blossoms, and the fruit isn't bad. They stand for elegance, faithfulness, and a pure heart." Gaara took another blossom and tasted it again. He thought that he could have at least one tree imported, though he wasn't sure how it would fair in the desert. "I had a great time tonight. This is probably the best date I've had since," Ino trailed off, then mustered the strength for a smile. "Thank you, Gaara."

She leaned up on her toes, intent on kissing his cheek, but he took that moment to turn away from the tree and their lips met. He tasted cherry, and she tasted apricot, and all to the background of the scent of honey. They both pulled back at once and stared at one another in shock, then Ino began to laugh and he turned his head to hide a smile. Blind dates weren't so bad after all.


End file.
